Remedy Lane Re:visited Re:mixed & Re:lived

I took a damn long time getting around to actually listening to any Pain of Salvation, cause although I'd heard lots of praise I'd also heard some particularly intense criticism. But, just over 2 weeks ago I just kinda randomly picked up 'Be' and was really, really impressed, once I kinda adjusted to their general sound, and quickly got the 3 studios albums prior to it. I haven't had them all long enough to come up with a definitive judgment, but as of right know I like 'Remedy Lane' the most. It can be pretty melodramatic, as is all of their stuff that I've heard, but the song craft is strong enough that it sucks me in. Pain of Salvation is definitely a powerful, unique band, one of the few truly progressive 'prog' bands that I've heard, and definitely the band which has the best grasp of combining complex, dense song writing and instrumentation with melodicism and memorability.This is the only PoS album I've where they got the production precisely correct. 'Be' isn't quite heavy enough when it's trying to be, 'One Hour by the Concrete Lake' is to mechanical and inorganic sounding, and 'The Perfect Element I' isn't as sharp and clear sounding. It's not as clear as 'Be' or 'One Hour...' but it's clean enough, and it doesn't compromise a thick, pulsing sound that it needs. It's also just got their most consistent song writing of any album, and is eclectic without being self-consciously or distractingly so. That, and it's just very consistent from beginning to end.'Of Two Beginnings' is just a fairly brief introduction, but it's pretty effective, particularly the first loud section, which gives you a fairly good sense of how much of the album is gonna sound. 'Ending Theme' is one of the more straightforward, normal, songs on the album, and while it's not one of the best tracks, it's still quite solid. Nice, varied vocals with some effective spoken word stuff, and a sufficiently grandiose, memorable chorus. Things really get going, however, with 'Fandango'. I didn't much care for this track initially, but it may be my favorite one, now. It's an abundantly weird track, densely layered with snaky piano lines and static-y roaring guitars, moving from whimsical to dark to romantic tone and back. They use some weird, clipped vox which are off putting initially but provide a nice contrast to the more lyrical sections. It does get a bit too overwrought towards the end, but it's a minor concern. 'A Trace of Blood' is a relatively typical prog-metal track, but it's a very good one. It's got a prominent piano part which seems out of place initially, but proves to really work, and it's got another very memorable chorus, and some particularly powerful, emotional vocal work. The unfortunately entitled 'This Heart of Mine (I Pledge)' is the target of much criticism, and while it's the weakest track here, I don't hate it like some others do. The first half of it is way, way too wussy and syrupy, and while the second half is damned wussy too, I actually rather like that part. Nice melody, what can I say. 'Undertow' is a very good, dark and brooding track. It's starts with a slow, sad and distant guitar melody and slowly builds from their, with haunting, reverberating guitars, piano and eerie, oddly distant sounding drums. The middle section is particularly good, with the guitar playing a highly 'sadified' variant on a melody from the previous track. One of the best tracks here. 'Rope Ends' is another dark track, with some great, heavy rhythm guitar work, and a nice progression towards the perhaps a bit overwrought, but still powerful chorus. It's also got a nice, jazzy middle break. 'Chain Sling' is a folksy piece, but still with some rock flavor. The main guitar melody sounds rather familiar, and is very memorable, for sure. Not the best thing here, for sure, but still pretty good. 'Dryad of the Woods' is mostly a gentle, acoustic instrumental. Not the most fascinating thing ever, but I like it quite a lot, anyway. The title track is another instrumental, mostly just 2 minutes of keyboard based variants on stuff from the rest of the album. 'Waking Every God' is another more straight prog-metal piece. One of the happier works on the album, with another epic, dramatic chorus. Not one of the very best tracks on this album, but very good by absolute standards. 'Second Love' is another power ballad-ish piece, but it's better than 'This Heart of Mine'. There's not that much too it, but it's got a very nice chorus with some good harmonies. 'Beyond the Pale' is probably beats out 'Fandango' as my favorite track on the album. It's just beautifully constructed, consistently compelling throughout it's ten minutes with a powerful, varied vocal performance and a nice pairing of droning, mechanistic acoustic work with a slow, bruising electric riff for the verses. The dual chorus is great too, with the powerful, epic pre chorus giving way to the softer, more minimalistic chorus. Very nice soloing too. It's just a great, great song.Yeah, that's it. Truly great stuff, here.

I just got introduced to this CD several months ago. I wasn't prepared for this style and delivery of progressive rock, but there were some immediate gems on it. After a few more listens, I started to actually hear the lyrics and understood the theme, which is somewhat conveluted upon the first few listens. I must say that I now 'get' the hype surrounding this release.Yes, this band has chops, which is good, but not the important element here. Yes, this is musically challenging prog, complete with rapid time signature shifts and multi-movement songs, but that's only sauce for the goose. The writing is stellar, and the focus is on the story, not prog for prog's sake. I can't tell you how stunned I was when I realized what the theme behind the excellent track Trace Of Blood was about the miscarriage of a pregnancy. But this is indicative of the type of writing you get here. No, this isn't an upbeat album by any means, but even a heavy song like Trace Of Blood is followed by the tender This Heart Of Mine (I pledge), which is the male character reafirming his love for his wife, who had just miscarried. Same with another ballad Second Love, which deals with loss as well.Once you've listened to this album 6 or 7 times through, you can get goosebumps on some tracks. One of the instrumentals on this album, Dryad Of The Woods, is transcendant. Its as lovely as any instrumental you've heard from any genre. Quite unexpected since this album is really edgy and full blown metal in places. And the themes are heavy, dealing with attempted suicide (Rope Ends) and depression (Undertow), so I wouldn't call it a romantic album.It was a fun listen the first few times through because this album really rocks in places, like the songs Rope Ends, Waking Every God, and the aforementioned Trace Of Blood, which is a terrific rock fest, even if the theme is miscarriage. In the song Trace Of Blood, he is bidding farewell to the child he'll never know, citing "I'll never know your name but I will love you just the same", so the raucus, angry nature of the song is due to the fact that all the hope and preperation of becoming a dad has culminated in a "trace of blood", which isn't how he'd want to remember his unborn child.See, pretty heady stuff. And its handled very deftly. It dosen't come across as exploitive or pretencious; rather like the writer or someone he knew had unfortunately lived such an experience.I'll definately be checking out this band's other albums in the future. Highly recommended.

I, like other reviewers here, didn't fully grasp this album at first. It was different, and therefore intriguing. But after about 7 or 8 listens, I filed it away in my CD case, not ever really "getting it."Fast-forward roughly a year. After finally getting tired of Spocks Beard and Dream Theater, I was hungry for something new. I decided to flip through my CD collection, and re-discovered POS Remedy Lane, and am I ever glad that I did! Remedy Lane has given me a renewed enthusiam for progressive rock.A few years back I was talking with a friend of mine, who is a very talented musician, about prog rock, and how Dream Theater was my favorite band. His opinion of DT was that they are a very talented band, but that their music lacked EMOTION. I didn't understand what he was talking about...until Remedy Land reached inside me and started pulling emotions and feelings out of me that I didn't realize were there.To sum it up...what I have come to find with great albums, "masterpieces" as some would label them, is that on the first 3 or 4 listens, you find yourself saying things such as "what is this stuff?" or "man, what were they thinking?" But after some time passes, and you give the album a few more listens, it dawns on you that you have truly come across a "masterpiece." Kind of weird how it works, isn't it?This new masterpiece that I have discovered is called "Remedy Lane," and it was just the "remedy" that I needed to cure my "progrock burn-out" blues. It is an emotional journey that I will continue to enjoy for years to come.

This album is already an example of prog mastery. This remix brings out the sound in a way that is more crisp while still remaining true to the original tone.

自分自身、最近気が付いたのですが、Pain of salvation というバンドが好きだと思っていたのですが、他のアルバムをいくら聴いても「Remedy Lane」のように没入できません。これはもしかするとバンドそのものではなく「Remedy Lane」というアルバムそのものの大ファンなのかもしれないと。（同様の現象は My Chemical Romance の「The Black Parade」や GALNERYUS の「UNDER THE FORCE OF COURAGE」でも見られる）それはさて置き、こちらの2014年に行われた「名盤再現ライヴ」について一言。注目していただきたいのはこの再現ライヴには Ragnar Zolberg というギタリスト兼ヴォーカリストの存在が欠かせなかったという事実。いくら Daniel Gildenlöw が優れたミュージシャンであったとしてもライブ演奏で一人二役はこなせないわけで、Ragnar Zolberg の Daniel に引けを取らないほどの圧倒的なパフォーマンスなしにはこの完全再現ライヴは成立しなかったと思うのです。名盤や名演奏の背景には何かしら奇跡的な巡り合わせやタイミングがあるもんだな、と。

Dopo 14 anni dall'uscita dell'originale capolavoro della band di Eskilstuna questa versione remixata dell'album non fa altro che confermarne l'indubbia qualità e bellezza.Il CD1 contiene ovviamente la versione rimasterizzata dell'opera, con parti che nella versione originali non c'erano e che quindi rendono l'ascolto di questo cd una nuova esperienza (si ascolti ad esempio Beyond the Pale), mentre il CD2 contiene le registrazioni del live al PowerProg USA Festival 2014, dove Remedy Lane è stato suonato nella sua interezza e dove la chitarra e la voce di Ragnar aggiungono un qualcosa che all'opera originale manca, senza alterarne la qualità.Unica pecca di questa edizione è il booklet, che sebbene sia arricchito da lunghi paragrafi che spiegano la nascita sia dell'album datato 2002 sia di questa versione, non è totalmente fedele all'originale, specialmente nelle liner notes che a stento si leggono e che invece dovrebbero dare un grande spessore in più alla storia narrata in quest'album.In ogni caso, Remedy Lane è un MUST per ogni amante del Prog Metal, e consiglio vivamente l'acquisto di questa versione sia a chi non l'abbia mai ascoltato sia a chi abbia consumato l'album originale a furia di ascoltarlo.

Dans la plus grande discrétion, Pain Of Salvation a sorti un joli petit package composé d'un remix d'un album datant de 2002, Remedy Lane, et d'une version live de ce même Remedy Lane, enregistrée au ProgPower USA Festival de 2014. Alors, pour ceux qui connaissent déjà Remedy Lane (quatrième album du groupe) je n'ai pas besoin d'expliquer, mais pour les autres, sachez que ce Remedy Lane est un chef d'œuvre du genre metal progressif, l'équivalent d'Operation:Mindcrime de Queensrÿche ou du Metropolis Pt 2 - Scenes From A Memory de Dream Theater. Une tuerie avec des morceaux mythiques comme Ending Theme, Fandango, Undertow, Rope Ends, Chain Sling ou encore Beyond The Pale.Pas la peine de revenir sur un chef d'œuvre vous allez me dire ? Peut-être mais Daniel Gildenlöw (le génie créateur derrière PoS) a croisé la route d'un certain Jens Bogren, qui lui a proposé il y a un certain temps déjà de rebosser sur le mixage de l'album. Aujourd'hui c'est chose faite : c'est le Re:Mixed. Et le résultat et superbe. C'est simple, certains instruments sont transcendés (la basse par exemple). Le chant est encore plus cristallin, on dirait qu'une fée a jeté un sort d'embellissement global sur la chose.Le résultat est bluffant. Les puristes se surprendront à des écoutes side-by-side pour vraiment comprendre les différences. Les autres n'en auront cure, et tous n'écouteront plus que cette version. Rendons hommage aux musiciens de l'époque, puisque seul Daniel Gildenlöw est encore présent dans le line up 2016 de Pain Of Salvation. Ils étaient Johan Hallgren, le guitariste aux dreadlocks, Fredrik Hermansson aux claviers, Kristoffer Gildenlöw à la basse et le phénoménal Johan Langell aux fûts.Avance rapide de douze ans et nous voilà sur les planches du USA ProgFest 2014. Daniel vient de sortir de quatre mois à l'hôpital, terrassé par une bactérie, qui a bien failli avoir sa peau. Ils ont décidé de rejouer Remedy Lane dans son intégralité. La vache, ce que j'aurais adoré y assister ! Je suis comblé de trouver cet enregistrement sur le deuxième CD de cet album : c'est le Re:Lived. Le line up est l'actuel avec Ragnar Zolberg à la guitare, Daniel Karlsson aux claviers, Gustaf Hielm à la basse et bien sûr Léo Margarit qui n'a pas lâché Daniel durant les années compliquées.A l'écoute de ce concert, on regrette que ça ne soit pas un DVD, car le groupe semble exploser d'énergie positive, ils semblent crier "Enfin sur scène !" En plus ils sont là pour réinterpréter avec les nouveaux venus un chef d'œuvre. Ils ont la pression, mais ils sont très bons, et le résultat est irréprochable. On apprécie les apports des nouveaux, notamment aux voix (Ragnar et Léo en voix aiguës).Voilà, c'est à acheter les yeux fermés, même si vous avez l'original et surtout si vous ne l'avez pas encore. Tout le génie de Pain Of Salvation (et de Daniel) est concentré dans le premier CD, et toute la spontanéité ainsi que la totale maitrise des musiciens est résumée dans le second. En attendant le prochain album de Pain Of Salvation prévue pour novembre et dont le titre est maintenant connu (In The Passing Light Of Day), voilà qui est un excellent présage.Retrouvez cette chronique et bien d'autres, sur notre webzine, auxportesdumetal.com

Über Amazon-Werbung in meiner Mailbox kam ich vor Jahren auf die "Remedy Lane". Beim ersten Hören sagte ich mir: "Naja, gar nicht schlecht" und legte die CD für eine Woche beiseite. Beim zweiten Hören kam mir die Musik immer noch ungeheuer sperrig vor, entdeckte aber schon einige besondere Nuancen. Gezündet hat sie dann beim fünften Hören und seitdem gehört die CD zu meinen Favoriten. Was in diesem Konzeptalbum an Musik steckt, ist fantastisch.Nun wurde die CD neu abgemischt. Und das Ergebnis ist für mich überwältigend. Dieselbe Musik wie auf der Original-CD wurde in einen glasklaren Sound überführt und klanglich komplett überarbeitet. Man hört jetzt Dinge, die einem vorher noch gar nicht bewußt waren. Einbußen dem Original gegenüber sind keinesfalls auszumachen. Ich denke, der Mann an den Mischpulten muß ein großer Fan der "Remedy Lane" sein und hat alles aus ihr rausgekitzelt, um sie neu als das erscheinen zu lassen, was sie ist: ein Meisterwerk des Prog Rock.Damit nicht genug: Auf der zweiten CD des Doppelalbums spielen PoS die gesamte "Remedy Lane" in einem Stück live durch. Klanglich ein toller Sound, der dazu animiert, die CD bloß nicht anzuhalten. Von den Socken gehauen hat mich das Stück "Dryad of the woods". In der Studiofassung ist ein eher ein ruhiges Stück mit akustischen Instrumenten. Hier auf der Live-CD ändert sich zum Ende des Stücks hin die ruhige Musik in spitzenmäßig abgehenden Hardrock mit einem ebensolchen Gitarrensolo.Jetzt, wo ich dieses Doppelalbum in den Händen halte, muß ich sagen, es war überfällig. Und die Live-CD wertet das das Album zusätzlich noch auf. Wer ein Fan der "Remedy Lane" ist, sollte hier zugreifen. Dumm nur, dass ich gar nicht mehr weiß, ob ich die alte oder neue Fassung hören soll. Im Moment tendiere ich eher zur überarbeiteten Version.